DP World establishes trade corridor between Jebel Ali and Syria

DP World has established a 2,500 km transport corridor from Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, to the Naseeb-Jaber border crossing between Jordan and Syria, according to a statement.

The terminal operator says the new corridor will see close collaboration between customs authorities and logistics providers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon to create a more efficient flow of goods to the war-torn country.

The announcement comes after the border crossing was reopened in October 2018 after being closed in 2015 during the height of the Syrian Civil War.

The closing of the border had a profound effect on trade in the Middle East, particularly Lebanon, which relies on Syria for overland connections.

DP World says the first convoy of three Dubai-registered trucks made the journey in six days, a significant reduction from the 24 days it took on average to complete the journey prior to the border being reopened.

“The Naseeb border is the lifeline of the Jordanian economy as 70 per cent of its imports and exports pass through Syria under normal circumstances,” DP World said.

“The closing of the border in 2015 dealt a severe blow to the Jordanian economy, with the loss to Jordan’s logistics and transport sector alone estimated at around half a billion US dollars,” it added.

“Jordanian businesses also prefer the land route since exporting goods through the Naseeb crossing is three times cheaper than exporting through the Gulf of Aqaba,” the port operator said in a statement. “Connecting Lebanon to this focused and purposeful supply chain route was highly significant because its trade with the GCC region had suffered due to the regional upheavals in recent years”.